Trading Places
by theCynicalCyantist
Summary: Due to a freak incident, Kid finds himself in Soul's body. KidxMaka
1. Chapter 1 of the Wish

**Author's Notes: Please pardon my writing style. Usually I go straight to the point, and leave out the details. Thus there will not be any nice character introductions. Sorry~!**

**But still, hope you'll enjoy it~!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.

Setting: The battle for BREW on the island. Events that happened there will be changed though.

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**Trading Places  
**

Chapter ONE _of the_ Wish

* * *

_"I will take something important, in exchange for granting a wish." - Yuko Ichihara_

**

* * *

**

5 minutes had passed. Dr. Stein and Marie-sensei had yet to return.

Something had to be done.

With Kirikou, Ox and Kim covering their backs, the trio headed into the raging magnetic field. They pressed forward despite the strong repulsion the field exerted, and finally broke through into the core.

"Stein-hakase! Marie-sensei!"

The girl in lead rushed forward, twin ponytails flapping against the wind. The other two boys followed suit.

"You… disobeyed my orders…" The Professor reprimanded them weakly and leveled them with a half-hearted glare. "Maka, Black Star, Kid."

"What happened?" The adolescent dressed in monochrome, Death the Kid, spoke up.

"… I'll explain later," Dr. Stein huffed as Marie gently supported him up. "For now, our top priority is to retrieve BREW."

"YOOHOO! Leave it to me, the almighty one!" The boy with teal-colored hair, Black Star, declared with brimming alacrity and dashed off.

"… Come on, Maka. We'll have to keep up with him," Soul stated in his scythe-form.

"Yes," The scythe-meister tightened her grip around the weapon. She was about to take chase when Kid stopped her.

She frowned, not wanting to fall behind the teal-haired assassin. "...What are you doing?"

"Look."

Two members of Arachnophobia were leaving the temple in which BREW resided. Mosquito and Mifune. In Mosquito's left hand was a peculiar metal box.

"They got BREW!" Maka hissed.

The short elder tipped his head up with a sidelong glance. "Mifune, deal with them. I have to return BREW to Arachne-sama immediately."

"Hmph."

Before Mifune could make a move, a loud war-cry rang through the air and Black Star landed before him.

"Let's settle this," The teal-haired punk took his stance.

"…" The blasé bodyguard drew his sword.

Leaving the enemy to Black Star, the other two meisters turned their attention back to Mosquito.

"He's leaving with BREW! We have to stop him!" Maka cried out in panic as she watched the retreating figure.

"No, don't go after him. That's a fraud."

The blond-haired girl turned towards the Professor with a questioning look. "Huh?"

"Someone must have deceived them into thinking that is the real BREW… BREW should still be in the temple. Hurry, go retrieve it…"

"Wait! Look over there!" Marie pointed, directing their attention towards the sky.

Three of the Mizune sisters were skedaddling from the temple in the opposite direction. An exact replica of the cube Mosquito held dangled from the middle of the witches.

"That's the genuine BREW!" Stein gritted his teeth. "Kid, you retrieve BREW. Maka, back him up."

"Yes, hakase."

Beelzebub was summoned from Kid's palm in a sparkle of dark energy and the Shinigami deftly leapt onto it. He powered up the hovering implement and took off after the fleeing witches. Cool air slapped against his pallid features as he sped through the vast expanse of the field-simulated sky.

"Look, Kid! There's a wolfie chasing us!" Patti, the younger of the Thompson sisters, laughed.

Kid craned his neck down and saw Free, the immortal werewolf, sprinting after him on the ground. His hands were clasped together and he began to chant…

"Wolf, wolves, wolf, wolves… "

"Kid, watch out from below!" Liz warned him. Liz was the elder sister. Both sisters were currently in the form of handguns in the Shinigami's hands.

A giant icicle pierced through the undergrowth into the sky, almost throwing the Shinigami off balance as he careened to a side.

"Damn werewolf…" he muttered, regaining his balance and took off after the witches once more.

"You're not going anywhere! Wolf, wolves…"

"Kid, leave him to me!" Maka yelled and crashed through the vegetation, landing a kick on the werewolf's back.

Kid had no time for thanks. With rising urgency at the sight of the witches' shadows disappearing at a distance, he hastily maneuvered the skateboard, revved up the power and tore through the sky in hot pursuit.

The Mizune sisters must have sensed his closing presence, for two of the witches decided to leave a trail of tadpole bombs in their wake.

"Such a vile, disgusting manner of offence," Death the Kid spat out in distaste, skillfully avoiding the haphazardly scattered bombs with graceful turns.

He quickly caught up with the witches.

"Tornado flip!"

He nimbly leapt off the skateboard. With a powerful swing of his leg, he launched the skateboard sharply spinning in a wide arc.

"Chi!" The witches squeaked out in pain as the skateboard crashed into their sides, hurtling them into a distance.

"There's BREW!" Liz exclaimed.

Apparently, the witch holding BREW had lost its grip on the metal box, and it was left falling in mid-air.

The skateboard completed a full circle and reverted back to its owner. Kid landed perfectly on the implement, regaining control over it. He revved up the power once more and headed towards the falling cube, which he plucked out of the sky.

"BREW retrieval, complete," he announced to nobody in particular and turned his attention back to the battle beneath him.

Black Star was engaged in fierce combat with his adversary. In the tangle of punches and slashes, came showers of blood. But Kid held faith in Black Star's abilities. They were playing on equal grounds after all.

He scanned the dense vegetation from his aerial view for the female meister…

"Maka!" His eyes widened in alarm as he took in the scene before him.

The blond-haired meister had been cornered against the temple's wall. Blood dribbled down in little rivulets from her forehead, and bruises ran rampant on her skin. Her right leg was bent at an awkward angle. And Soul was nowhere to be seen. The meister had been disarmed.

"Maka!" Kid cried out once more and swiveled his skateboard in her direction.

_He had to help her!_

He saw the werewolf lash out, smashing the meister into the concrete wall. Blood was coughed out before the girl tumbled forward and landed sprawled out on the ground.

_Could he reach her in time? They were still so far away…! _

He saw Free raise a large icicle, its sharpened end pointed towards the fallen meister.

_Where was Soul? What was he doing? Someone stop the werewolf! Someone, anyone! _

He supercharged the skateboard, accelerating it over its limit. Cold sweat started to break out from the sides of his head.

_He… He had to save her…!_

"Kid! We'll never make it in time!" Liz cried out. He could hear the trepidation and pain laced in her trembling voice.

"I… I WILL!"

Despite his bold words, Death the Kid knew the agonizing truth.

It was impossible.

Liz and Patti's shots would not be strong enough to stop him from such a distance.

She was too far away.

There was too little time.

_Too little time… _

The werewolf slashed.

And everything slowed down before the moment of impact.

In a second, Maka's head would be separated from her body.

In a second, she would be gone.

She would be dead.

Death the Kid watched with rising horror as the icicle slowly closed in on her throat as the second neared its finish.

He willed himself to move faster, but his legs and strength had been dragged down into a ponderous state, as time had in the moment.

_Was this… the end of Maka?_

And he, a Shinigami, a friend, could only watch her die at the sidelines.

That was where he had always stood to his chagrin.

_At the sidelines._

He was nothing more than an assurance in the heat of the battle.

_An onlooker. _

Utterly helpless. Utterly useless.

Trapped in a cul-de-sac.

Just watching people fall.

Watching his friends fall.

But what could he do?

Nothing.

_Nothing._

And so,

He wished.

He wished, that he could be there, protecting her.

He desperately wished so.

He truly wanted to.

And the queer little cube in his arms, decided to grant him his wish...

* * *

_A flash._

_Where was he? _

_In the darkness._

_He could see the light…_

_

* * *

_

Kid opened his eyes with a start.

There he stood before Free, palms pressed against the icicle, restraining it from advancing further.

_What happened? _

"That was fast," the werewolf commented, pulling the icicle away from Kid's grasp. "I thought I had knocked you out for good."

_W-What? _

He had been riding Beelzebub towards Maka just a moment ago.

There was a flash.

And now this.

He felt someone tugging at the back of his pants.

"Soul…"

He turned around and was startled to find Maka sprawled out on the ground in a bloody mess.

She raised her head.

Kid felt a strange sensation flash through him like an electrical shock as Maka leveled his gaze with hers. He saw her deep emerald eyes, brimming with courage and tenacity despite her battered body.

"Transform into a Scythe."

Kid blinked.

"Huh?" He blurted out as Maka lifted herself from the ground. He was rather surprised by his own voice. How informal, coarse and different it was now…

"Don't give me that look," Maka glared at him with burning ferocity. "I'm the meister. I decide. We're going to try Witch Hunter again. Transform now, Soul."

… _Soul? _

"But…"

"Soul!"

Kid gritted his teeth. He did not understand what was happening.

But yet in this convoluted turmoil, he could understand two things.

Through some way or another, he was currently in Soul's position, and he had to protect Maka.

"What are you waiting for, Soul!?"

"Uh… Maka…"

"What is it? Hurry up already!"

Under Maka's cruel death glare, Kid was rather ambivalent about voicing out the burning question in his head… but he just had to.

"H-How do you transform into a weapon…?" He drawled out meekly, knowing the ignominy that awaited him.

Maka's jaw dropped.

Free, who had been watching the little farce play out before him, laughed huskily.

"Seems like your friend had his head hit pretty hard," The werewolf grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "It was me who did it after all! Ha! Ha! Must have underestimated my strength."

"Soul! This is no time to be joking around!" Maka yelled and Kid saw with terror that she seemed to be considering executing a Maka Chop as her death glare skyrocketed with intensity.

"B-But I really don't know how to!" He cried out with a pleading look etched out on his face. It was the plain truth after all…

"…" Maka stared at him, speechless. Her erupting temper seemed to subside in the instant she caught the truth in his words. Kid diverted his eyes away from hers. He felt so ashamed of himself. He felt so… useless.

"I would have sat down and continued watching you two, but sorry, I have a job to finish," Free sighed and readied himself for another slash.

Kid felt terrible. Guilt crawled into the weaknesses in his heart and he felt his depression slowly kick in. He had wanted to protect Maka. He did stop the killing blow, but now what? Didn't he wish for the opportunity to protect his teammate? He had wished the situation upon himself.

He turned to Maka, she seemed upset.

"I'm sorry, Soul… If I had acted faster, you wouldn't be in the state you are now…"

It then dawned upon Kid that he had just led Maka to the conclusion that he was suffering from memory loss. And she was blaming herself.

"…Maka …It's not your fault." Words had forsaken him in the moment of awkwardness.

How useless he was.

_A pig! A scum! Totally utterly useless! Disgusting! He didn't deserve to be born into this world!_

Yet somehow, even without Liz and Patti by his side, a second voice broke through his crooked chain of thoughts.

_What are you doing!?_

_WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?_

_HE'S GOING TO HURT MAKA!_

_PROTECT HER!_

And thus he broke out of the portcullis barring his mind from clarity.

He drew back on his resolve. Yes, he had to protect Maka, regardless of how useless he was. If he was here, he could still protect her. He could.

He clenched up his fists and took up the Stance of 'Crime'.

Free's eyes widened and he let out a choked sound that seemed to sound vaguely like laughter.

"W-What? You're going fight me with your fists now are you? Ha! Ha! And what's with that strange pose? Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Soul, what are you doing?"

"Stay back, Maka. I'll finish him."

"B-But Soul…"

Kid lunged forward, lashing out with his foot.

Free dodged it easily. Kid noted that his combat abilities had vitiated along with his suppleness in this body. He may not have any hope of winning an immortal, but still… He would keep trying.

Even if all hope was lost, he would keep trying. It was his duty to protect.

And he would protect Maka.

Just as Kid was about to lash out with his other leg, a crackle was heard and a burst of lighting engulfed the werewolf.

"Check out the power of The Lightning King!"

"Maka! Soul! Are you two alright?"

Kid landed and directed his gaze to the source of the voices.

Two figures emerged from the dense undergrowth and he felt a surge of relief upon seeing them.

"Ox! Kirik-"

_BA-DHUMP! _

Suddenly, a wave of nausea crashed down onto the Shinigami. His vision blurred before him and he felt his strength forsake him.

He could hear someone calling out to him.

But it was faint. Barely a whisper…

"_Soul!" _

He was falling…

… Into the darkness…

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**Author's Notes: **

**So, how did that go? To be honest, I think I suck terribly at 'action-scenes'. But ah, well. I apologize for the lack of humor... Don't worry, there will be some in the next chapter! **

**And I like to develop relationships slowly. That's why there isn't much KidxMaka here yet. **

**About Kid's sudden depression, I know there wasn't anything to do with symmetry there, but I just get the feeling that he's just a guy with low self-esteem. That's why he tries to make everything perfect to make up for that.  
**

**Please review and tell me how you feel. I'll try to adjust to your requests, if any. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**~Cyan**


	2. Chapter 2 of the Awakening

**Author's Notes: Thank you so much for your reviews, Anon, Yoru no Yoku, Kashii Ai, laravine and warriorsfan12528! It doesn't matter if you're an anon, every single review means a whole lot to me! Thank you those who have added the story to their favorites and alerts too! Cookies for all you awesome people! **

**This chapter is much longer than the first, so I hope you'll enjoy it! Cheers~!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.

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**Trading Places  
**

Chapter TWO _of the _Awakening

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_"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." - Gerald Way_

* * *

There he sat, halfway up the slope of a dour hill, shrouded by a caliginous dark sky.

No wind blew. All was silent in the inner world Death the Kid found himself in once again.

At the foot of the hill, was the grand complex known as Death City. Towering from the core of the city was his and his father's pride, Shibusen. Seated at such a height, Kid was able to look down upon the city where the hoi polloi resided. Where his friends were.

Turning his head, he could see his father perched upon the apex of the hill in full prestige. Where his father stood, was the highest point in this ethereal world of his.

His father beckoned him over. Kid rose to his feet, but did not move. The pressure, the weight. It was far too heavy. The responsibility of the world rested on the shoulders of those who stood at the peak. A responsibility that he could not bear yet.

Instead, he started to move in the direction of Death City.

Yet no matter how much he traversed, the distance separating him from the city remained the same. The distance from his friends.

Deep in his heart, he knew. Knew that he could never mingle among his friends as one of them. Because he was different.

_Was he going to be stuck in the exact same location for eternity? With no way down, but only up? _

He started to panic, and his footsteps gradually increased until he broke into a run. He ran and he ran and he ran. Yet the never-ending distance continued to stretch before him, mocking his futile efforts.

He had to accept the fact. He had been born this way.

He had a duty to fulfill, and a loneliness to endure.

Soon, he would be standing on the apex where his father now stood.

_And the distance between him and the others would only lengthen._

He gave up, and sat down on the same position at which he had sat before. But this time he was not alone.

"Who are you?" He turned to stare at the odd red creature seated beside him.

"… I should be the one asking that. Who are you?" Upon closer inspection, Kid noted that it seemed to be an imp of sorts. A little ogre?

Kid blinked, and the creature before him vanished.

How strange… no one had sat beside him before…

And what is this?

_Wind?_

In the still air, a gentle breeze blew…

* * *

Death the Kid awoke to find hunter-green eyes staring down at him.

"Ack!" He yelped in surprise as the face withdrew from him. A fierce, inevitable blush claimed his features upon realizing the startling proximity of their faces.

"You're awake!" A girl with sandy blond hair smiled.

"…Maka?" So the breeze he had felt in his inner world… could it be… her breath?

Upon visualizing the image of the female meister leaning down upon him, so close that her breath could sweep across his face like a gentle breeze, the blush on his face reddened further.

Maka Albarn's smile slowly ebbed away as she silently watched him from the stool by his bedside.

"Are you alright? You've been unconscious for two days now… we were getting worried, especially since there doesn't seem to be any major injuries on you," She frowned. "And your face seems kind of red."

"A-Ah! N-no I'm fine, really." Did Maka not feel the slightest bit of awkwardness? "By the way, what about your wounds? Are they alright now?"

"Yes, much better, though Stein-hakase said that it'll take some time for them to completely heal." Kid noted that she was wrapped head-to-toe in bandages. He saw her eyes avert from his gaze as she lowered her head.

"You're so stupid," She said in such a painfully hollow tone that Kid started to feel his heart ache. "Always jumping in front to take the blow. What if Free had used all his strength? That icicle would have ran through you. You're so stupid, and reckless."

Hearing her words, Kid was furious.

"Do you expect me to watch you die?" He blurted out, words escaping his mouth before he could stop them. Regret washed over him when he saw Maka's expression tighten with anguish.

"No," She said through gritted teeth. "But still, it's not right. It's not right…"

She turned her gaze back to him, this time it was shimmering with emotions.

"You don't know how much it hurts, when someone you care about gets hurt in order to protect you."

Kid was stumped by her reply.

"So… tell me truthfully, are you really alright? You were crying in your sleep just now..."

"… I was?"

"Yes." The expression on the female Meister's face softened. "Bad dream? You can tell me about it if you want."

"… No it's alright."

"You sure? Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Kid felt a strange new sensation worm its way into his heart. It felt warm. And light. Was it a new form of elation for the Shinigami?

Never had someone aside from his family (which vaguely consists of his father, Liz and Patti) shown him that much concern.

He did not want to rely on others, thus he had closed himself off from all offers of help, making him distant. Making him different. So difficult to approach.

He felt blessed, to have a friend who would show him concern like no other.

He was, simply, happy.

And then Maka's expression turned bitter.

"… I'm sorry, if I had known that Free was using that much force to hit down, I wouldn't have used you to shield me. In the end, you got knocked out and lost some memory. I'm really very sorry, Soul."

Death the Kid felt whatever sensation he had just felt desert him.

Oh. _Right. _He was in Soul's body now wasn't he?

Maka had been speaking to Soul. _Not_ him.

What did he expect?

Yet Death the Kid did not begrudge the Scythe for Maka's concern.

He had always known that to Maka, he was simply Shinigami-sama's son. A friend, a teammate. He was a perfect boy who did not require worry or concern from others.

It was his fault in the first place for assuming that Maka was showing him her concern.

Thus Death the Kid pushed his feelings aside and smiled up at the female Meister.

"It's alright, Maka. Everything else turned out fine, didn't it? I'm alright, so stop being sorry."

Speaking of which…

"What happened to the others?"

Maka shook her head and gave him a faint smile. "The battle for BREW didn't turn out too well. Black Star couldn't stand up against Mifune, but thank goodness Mifune had exceeded his time limit in the magnetic field, so he had to leave the battle hanging. Black Star's all fine now."

She shook her head once more, this time frowning. "Kid was the worst."

The person in topic shuddered upon hearing his name mentioned, coupled with derogatory words.

Maka sighed. "Liz and Patti said that Kid managed to retrieve BREW. But later, for some reason, lost control of his skateboard and crashed. They think that he had a breakdown of sorts, because when the witches came back, he was just lying stunned on the ground. The witches then stole BREW from under his nose. Liz and Patti couldn't stop them."

Kid paled visibly when he heard her report. He could not get angry at Soul though, he knew that it was not the Scythe's fault since he would never anticipate a body swap in the middle of a heated battle.

_Wait. A body swap… A BODY SWAP!? _

Kid felt a wave of unease surge into him when an extremely disturbing thought infiltrated his mind.

_Oh. My. God!_

He quickly threw off the covers and clambered off the bed despite Maka's protests. Scanning the ward, he caught sight of a tall standing mirror and made a mad dash for it.

He almost died when he saw the image reflected.

Dirty white hair was swept to a side with heavy bangs arranged in a complete disorder on his forehead. Droopy red eyes that were slanted at an angle stared back at him. Robe thrown open, he could see a harsh diagonal scar decorated with messy stitches stretching the length of his torso. Even his private was crooked.

Suddenly, three white stripes seemed very insignificant.

"This is most terrible!" He screamed as his entire world shattered asunder around him. "I am such a pig! A scum! The worst! I shouldn't exist in this world! I shouldn't have been born!" This was followed by a dramatic fall to the ground accompanied with the banging of both fists and head.

He was... TOTALLY ASYMMETRICAL.

If Death the Kid was the quintessence of symmetry, then Soul Eater Evans was the complete opposite.

Looking into the mirror, he had felt the bane of his life being flung full force at him, leaving him completely appalled, drowning in the abysmal depths of his depression.

One would have thought that this might as well be the end of Death the Kid without Liz and Patti around. Yet a fuming individual slowly edging towards the mourning boy on the ground might just have a cure for an OCD depression…

"MAKA~ CHOP!"

All hail the legendary move…

Lifting his indented head from the crater in the ground, Death the Kid turned to the fearsome female towering behind him and stared at her with huge tearful eyes that seemed to scream "Ow!", "What was that for?" and "Ow!".

"What the hell are you doing, Soul!?" Maka hollered down at him, her face a bright red, from embarrassment or fury one could not tell. "Close up your robe, dammit!"

The Shinigami sheepishly acquiesced.

...Should he tell her the truth? That he was Kid? Then things would not be that complicated…

"What's going on in here?"

He froze. That voice… it was so familiar… so unmistakably his own.

He looked up and saw himself, arms crossed with Liz and Patti flanking him at the sides. 'Kid' raised an eyebrow as he stared down at 'Soul' who was kneeling on the ground. The Thompson sisters greeted them cheerfully.

It felt weird, to be seeing yourself in flesh and blood. Sure, he had viewed himself in the mirror for umpteen times, but what he saw in that instant was no image.

Was that how he had always appeared to others?

The stoic mien, coupled with a slight frown, made him seem so… cold. Distant and aloof. His ghostly pallid skin was a shocking contrast to his solemn black hair and attire. The three white stripes were still in their outstanding glory on the left side of his hair (though they were now terribly insignificant compared to what Kid had just experienced from the mirror). Sharp golden eyes of death stared down at him. He had donned the usual monochrome suit. And in place of the top button of his white dress shirt was the proud regalia of the Shinigami skull.

Wait. Something was not right…

"Hi Kid, Liz and Patti!" Maka waved and made her way over to the trio.

_Something was not right…!_ Kid turned his eyes back onto the skull emblem and scrutinized it critically.

"Soul finally woke up!" Patti cheered.

"Oi Soul, you had no idea how worried Maka was when you couldn't wake up," Liz teased.

'Soul' shot up from the ground suddenly, startling everyone in the room.

"You…" He started with a trembling voice, pointing at the black-haired boy standing by the doorway.

"What's wrong?" 'Kid' asked and cocked an eyebrow.

"You… Your top button! It isn't straight! It's slightly tilted to the left!"

"Huh?"

"Ahaha. Sharp eyes you got there," Liz laughed and bent down to help 'Kid' adjust the emblem. "There, it's better now isn't it?"

"Yeah, thank you…"

Liz sighed. "Kid hasn't really been himself after he fell from the sky. He's making me worry too much!"

'Kid' gave a guilty smile and said, "I'm sorry, but could all of you leave the room? I would like to speak with Soul."

"Fine," Liz shrugged. "We'll be heading home first. See ya!"

"Oh Soul, since you're all fine now, get permission from the nurse before you leave alright? I'm going to buy some grocery for dinner tonight, so I'll see you later!" Maka waved at him before leaving, all trace of anguish hidden under her cheerful façade.

When the group had left, 'Kid' turned back to face him.

"So, Kid," he started. "Any idea what the hell is going on?"

"Soul…" It would take some time before he would become accustomed with speaking to himself… literally.

"Anyway," Soul gave him a wide 'Kid' grin. "How was my imitation of you? Pretty good huh?"

"No way! You broke my rule of symmetry!"

"Chill Kid, it was only a button."

"If a Death God is unable to adjust his button properly, what kind of God would he be!?"

"Right," Soul sighed. "That aside, what are we going to do now?"

"I think it was BREW…" Kid started, but was curtailed by Soul almost immediately.

"Listen Kid, I'm leaving all the investigation to you. I'm no good at this kind of stuff," Soul paused and broke out into an even wider grin, which was slightly disturbing now that he was not in his own body. "Besides, who would waste away the opportunity to live a cool life like yours? Heck no am I gonna throw this chance away!"

"Wait… are you trying to tell me that you don't want your own body back?"

"Well, you'll fix the situation right? So what do I have to worry about?"

"Sure… but what about Maka?"

"Ah chill. Once everything's fixed I will be stuck together with her again, no?"

"Alright… So we'll play our roles accordingly. We'll keep this entire incident a secret. Is that fine with you?"

"Yep. Good, well I'm going back 'home' now. Here's a tip for you, if you wanna have a good night rest, try not to get on Maka's nerves," Soul chuckled. The weapon's intention had been to warn Kid not to upset Maka, otherwise she would be fuming the entire night. It was pretty tough falling asleep when there was a deadly aura haunting you beyond your room door.

Kid, however, got the wrong idea.

_So Soul sleeps in the same bed as Maka? Guess it does make sense to not anger her. Patti would always hit me in her sleep whenever I made her mad before bed… _

As Soul started to leave, the burning question that had been pestering him the entire time came to his mind. This was his chance to ask Soul!

"Wait!" He quickly stopped the boy before he left the ward. "Teach me how to transform into a weapon."

Soul blinked at him for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"It's easy! Just think of doing so, and it's done!" Soul grinned and turned back towards to exit upon leaving his vague answer.

"Thanks… Hold on! Don't you require guidance in wielding twin pistols?" He hurriedly shouted at Soul's retreating back.

But the boy simply waved him off. "Nah, chill. It's not that hard right?"

And he left.

* * *

High above in the crimson gold sky, the blazing sun had started to nod off into sleep.

Death the Kid slowly trailed along the cobbled path of Death City towards the apartment where Soul and Maka lived, fingering through the contents of Soul's wallet.

He had wanted to start some research into what BREW actually was, but with the current status he now held, it was almost impossible to access the more classified information. Besides, his mind was weary from the events of the day; he could begin investigations after some rest.

Standing before the door of the apartment, Kid started to feel slightly uneasy. This wasn't his house… yet there he stood with the key in his hand.

_Argh! It's alright, I'm Soul now… This is where I live… _

And with that he poked the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door.

He had been to Soul's place before, but never further than the living room. Maka was not back yet, so he took his time to familiarize himself with the small, but comfy apartment.

_Not bad!_ He thought while scanning the place with a critical eye. _Sufficiently tidy, but not quite perfect…_

Eventually, he fell to his whims and started to tidy up the place with great ardor, packing up strewn magazines and fluffing up the cushions. Soon enough, he was rearranging the furniture.

_Hmm… that picture frame should go there, the table over there… Ah, I don't think Maka would allow me to purchase another cabinet to match that one … Compromise, compromise, compromise… _

When Maka Albarn stepped into her apartment, she immediately stepped out of it.

_Sheesh, how rude of me to step into someone else's house… I should pay more attention to where I'm going…_ The girl chided herself sheepishly as she closed the door behind her.

But when she saw the unit number emblazoned in the door, she immediately dropped her grocery bags in shock. _That was her apartment!?_

Clenching her fists, she kicked the door open and stormed in… to be greeted by a cheery Soul with a smug look on his face.

"Welcome back, Maka~! What do you think? It's _per~fect_ isn't it?" He smiled and gestured at the setting behind him with a flourish of his hand.

Maka did not know if she should be furious or impressed.

The entire living room, carpet, vases and all, had been rearranged into one stylish, immaculate design. She could have sworn that it seemed somewhat symmetrical.

"So? What do you think?" With Soul grinning like an idiot before her, how could she get angry at him?

She sighed and picked up the grocery bags. "It's nice. But I hope you remember where you've placed everything. If I can't find something, I'm expecting an answer from you. Or else you die."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Maka gave the boy a suspicious look before shrugging him off. She seriously doubted that Soul was the one who had reorganized the place. He must have called some professional over to do the dirty work for him.

In the kitchen, she had to fight against the desire to turn and smash her head into the kitchen counter when she opened the refrigerator door. Everything inside had been rearranged too…!? She stared into the fridge with a twitching brow. She could have sworn that an egg was missing. She remembered seeing _nine_ eggs in the tray…

_That Soul…!_ She gnashed her teeth together and shook a fist to no one in particular. _What in the world was he trying to achieve!?_

It was a good thing that she did not step into her room until later that night…

* * *

Meanwhile, in the massive symmetrical structure known as Death the Kid's mansion…

After _wow_-ing himself with a grand tour of the magnificent and luxurious mansion, Soul plopped down onto an enormous sofa with a satisfied grin on his face.

"This is AWE-SOME!" He cheered as he stared up at the huge plasma screen before him. He pulled out a gaming controller and stroked it lovingly. He was in seven-heaven! (Make it eight!)

"Hey Kid~!" Liz whined from behind him. "You should start preparing dinner. I want to eat before night falls, and we all know how long you take to prepare a simple meal!"

"Eh? Just eat out or something."

"Huh? Seriously? You were always emphasizing on how important it was for us to have a balanced diet, so you always insisted on preparing our meals for us."

"Yay! I want to eat at Death Donalds!" Patti shouted in approval.

"No! Fast food will cause obesity!"

"Burgers!"

"…Fine. Well, we'll be going out Kid."

"Yeah, yeah. See you later."

With the Thompson sisters out, Soul gave a triumphant smirk. He did not feel the slightest bit of hunger or weariness. _Which means…_

His days of a couch potato were over.

It was time… for some hardcore non-stop gaming!

* * *

"Eat up," Maka huffed as she slid a dish of spaghetti over to the white-haired boy who was sitting upright instead of slouching over the table for once.

Death the Kid raised a brow at the meal before him. He had wanted to tell Maka that he did not require food as normal humans would, but his stomach begged to differ.

He was hungry…?

It was a strange new sensation for the young Death God who had not felt hunger ever since he came to this world. Tentatively, he picked up his fork, twirled the pasta around it and placed it into his mouth.

His eyes widened as he was struck with an explosion of flavors. Sure, he had tasted food out of curiosity before. But never had he eaten something because he was famished. Manners aside, he started to dig into his meal eagerly.

"Thank you for the meal!" He exclaimed with fervor between mouthfuls of food.

Across the table, the girl who had been watching his strange new behavior blinked before picking up her own fork and digging into her meal. "You're welcome…? Anyway don't forget that it's your turn to prepare dinner tomorrow."

It was really weird. On normal days, Soul would simply plop down into his seat and eat his food in silence, putting aside the loud slurps and chewing sounds he made to sound 'cool'. But he had thanked her today, and was digging into his food enthusiastically.

_Come to think of it, Soul hasn't really been himself today_, the girl mused. Yet she felt an elated spark of achievement. To have her partner finally thanking her and appreciating her cooking, it felt good in a way.

* * *

Later that night, Death the Kid stood before Maka's bedroom in awkward silence. As a Shinigami, he did not actually require sleep, but his father had always insisted that he needed it to help facilitate his growth. Now that he was in a human body, sleep had become more essential.

Sleeping together with Liz and Patti was alright for the Shinigami since he regarded them as family members. But now…

It felt utterly wrong, to be sleeping with a friend. He was not Maka's actually partner… it felt despicable to deceive her.

But the night was ageing and his current body demanded that he adhered to human requirements. Fatigue tugged at his eyelids, threatening to close them. Besides, Maka would surely grow suspicious of him should he decide to sleep on the couch instead of the bed. Soul had always slept with Maka, didn't he?

With rising dread, he slowly made his way to the bed. He gulped as he took in the sight of the female meister's sleeping form under the covers, with Blair the cat curled up asleep at the foot of the bed.

_This is wrong! Wrong!_ He screamed inwardly and started to scratch at his temples furiously. _But I have to sleep! Forgive me, Maka!_

And with that, he braved his fears and clawing feelings of guilt and valiantly slid into the covers beside the girl. His heart thumped loudly in panic as he felt the girl stir in her sleep.

_It's alright. It's alright. I'm Soul now, there's nothing wrong._ He tried to calm himself down.

The female meister might not have awakened, but another did.

Blair opened her eyes drowsily upon hearing the approaching footsteps. Her eyes widened with surprise upon seeing the Scythe-boy shuffle into the bed beside his meister. She let out a devilish grin.

Kid jumped in shock when he saw the black cat deftly land on the covers before him, with a knowing smirk and dangerously glinting eyes shining in the darkness of the room.

"Oh Soul~" she purred. "What a naughty dare-devil you are nyah~"

"W-W-W-WHAT?" He yelled out in panic, startling the female meister awake.

Cold sweat poured from the sides of his head as he watched Maka Albarn slowly taking in the scene before her. He had to suppress a shriek of terror when the female meister turned to stare at him with hellish eyes of a devil. Had she known all along that he was Kid? Oh god was he screwed!

Poor Kid had no clue about what was going on.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED SOUL!?"

"I'm sorry! I'll go to the couch now!"

"GO TO YOUR OWN BED, YOU IDIOT!"

And with that, he was hurled out of the room.

Lying on the ground with a broken bleeding skull, Death the Kid blinked in confusion.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

**Ah, poor Kid XD He couldn't really think straight because he was pretty groggy from fatigue. **

**Actually, this chapter was much longer. But I decided to cut away most of the description because they bored me and I figured they will bore you readers too. Mmhm, there won't be as many Soul scenes because yeah its a KidxMaka fic and the story will revolve mainly around them. Sorry, Soul fans~!**

**The next chapter's update might take awhile, because I'm going overseas~ **

**But still, please review! Every review gives me bursts of inspiration, regardless of how short they are! ^^ **

**Thanks for reading! **

**~Cyan  
**


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